Diane Loranger

She was the first woman from Red Lake, Ontario to earn a PhD. Loranger lectured all over the world, and published numerous papers. Growing up in Red Lake, she lived around nature and was passionate about the environment and geology. She worked as an oil field consultant from 1961 into the 1970’s. Diane learned how to code on computers in 1971 and used this skill to make a digital record of her work in paleoecology.

In 1961, Loranger earned a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of London, making her the first woman from her home town of Red Lake to earn a post doctorate degree. In 1962, Loranger added to her accomplishments by earning a D.I.C. from the Imperial College of Science & Technology, Royal School of Mines, London.

After graduating from the University of Manitoba in 1943 with a Bachelors of Science in Geology – one of the first women to do so – Loranger began her career with Imperial Oil in Calgary. The job would usually involve log stay in remote camps and most company owners would not allow women to do geological work back then, though for some unclear reasons, Loranger was actually sent on trips from the start. A subsidy of Standard Oil, Imperial Oil’s work in the province of Alberta would discover the Leduc Woodbend Devonian oil reef in 1947 – the same year Loranger would be promoted from resident/field geologist to a senior supervisory position at Imperial’s sub-surface laboratory. One important finding her work uncovered was the loss of ornamentation on fossil ostracods as the depth of their burial increased. Loranger’s innovative method of using microfossils to date sedimentary deposits was used to locate the Leduc Formation.

Diane’s family moved to Hudson, Ontario where she began her elementary school. The Loranger family eventually relocated to Red Lake where she attended the Red Lake High School and became the first to graduate in. Until 1938, she enrolled at the University of Manitoba to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Geology and completed it in 1943. Four years later, she rose to receive the position of senior supervisory with Imperial Oil. Although it wasn’t easy, Loranger received quite a slander for being a woman and was told that petroleum Geology was not a woman’s field at the time. But this of course didn’t stop her from doing what she loves and earned her title of being the first woman to work in the oil fields of Western Canada in 1947. Later on, after years of working as an Oilfield consultant,  Loranger decided to pursue a Ph. D in Geology from the University of London in 1962 where she became the first person to earn a Ph. D from Red Lake. But she didn’t stop there, Loranger then also fulfilled her childhood dream of being a pilot and received a commercial pilot license that allowed her to fly to remote geological sites.

Diane’s adolescence in Red Lake piqued her interest in the natural sciences, athletics, and flying. She was a member of Red Lake’s first Girl Guide troop from 1936 to 1937. By 1938, Red Lake had earned the title of the World’s Busiest Airport due to the extensive mining in the area, and Diane’s community continued to change as she became Red Lake’s first high school graduate. Before leaving Red Lake, Diane joined the Junior Birdmen of America. Her passion for flying grew stronger as she grew older, and she received her commercial pilot’s license, which she used to fly to remote geological job sites. Loranger enrolled at the University of Manitoba and went to work for Imperial Oil after graduating. Then by 1947, she had risen to a senior supervisory position with the company. A woman of many firsts, Diane had achieved immense success in the face of a male-dominated industry that had a stigma against women geologists, believing they would need ‘special comforts’ in the field. As a field geologist weighing 125 lbs, she regularly walked upwards 14 miles a day with full gear in the often intense Alberta summers. Her passion for science and creativity in her field belied the industry’s reputation, and the nickname “Madam Curious,” often propelled her over the next hill.

Dr. Diane May Lally Loranger, B.Sc, F.G.S., Ph.D., D.I.C., (1920–2004) was a Canadian geologist, paleontologist, and pioneer in the global petroleum industry. Her career began working with Imperial Oil in Calgary in the 1940s. She is widely regarded as the first female geologist to break through the barriers of the male-dominated field of geology in Western Canada. Diane Loranger earned her Bachelors of Science in Geology at the University of Manitoba, and graduated with a doctorate in 1961 from the University of London. Her work in micropaleontology was paramount to the understanding and locating of Western Canadian oil reserves at the beginning of the Western Canadian oil boom.

Diane Loranger was born in Edmonton, Alberta, 1920. The daughter of master carpenter, Bruno “Bill” Loranger, and an English born dancer and competitive swimmer, Daisy Loranger, the family moved to Hudson, Ontario in 1927 during the Gold Rush era. Diane’s mother, Daisy Loranger was born in London, England. “Madam Curious” as her father called her, lived an adventurous life, flying her own plane and fixing her own cars. She was also a dancer in her youth, who worked for the Shakespearean Theatre Company and performed for the King and Queen. Daisy was also an accomplished medal-winning swimmer, and owned her own dress boutique.